A fuel cell system is increasingly being used as a power source in a wide variety of applications. Fuel cell systems have been proposed for use in power consumers such as vehicles as a replacement for internal combustion engines, for example. Such a system is disclosed in commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/418,536, hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Fuel cells may also be used as stationary electric power plants in buildings and residences, as portable power in video cameras, computers, and the like. Typically, the fuel cells generate electricity used to charge batteries or to provide power for an electric motor.
The basic process employed by a fuel cell is efficient, substantially pollution-free, quiet, free from moving parts (other than an air compressor, cooling fans, pumps and actuators), and may be constructed to yield only heat and water as by-products. The term “fuel cell” is typically used to refer to either a single cell or a plurality of cells depending upon the context in which it is used. The plurality of cells is typically bundled together and arranged to form a stack with the plurality of cells commonly arranged in electrical series. Since single fuel cells can be assembled into stacks of varying sizes, systems can be designed to produce a desired energy output level providing flexibility of design for different applications.
Fuel cells are electrochemical devices which directly combine a fuel such as hydrogen and an oxidant such as oxygen to produce electricity. The fuel is typically supplied from a fuel source such as a high pressured storage vessel or tank. The oxidant is typically supplied by an air stream.
The fuel source may communicate with a shut-off device such as a shut-off valve, for example. The fuel source and valve interface is typically designed such that a female thread formed on the fuel source mates with a corresponding male counter part formed on the valve for structural integration. A face type seal or a radial type seal such as an O-ring, for example, is typically disposed between the female thread and the male member to create a substantially fluid tight seal therebetween. However, the seals do not completely seal the fuel source/valve interface, as a portion of the fuel may leak past the seal. Accordingly, it is desirable to control leakage of fuel to militate against the accumulation of the fuel in a tank compartment which houses the fuel source and the valve.
It would be desirable to produce a fuel leakage vent for use with a fuel source and valve interface in a fuel cell system, wherein a fuel is directed to a desired location and an accumulation of the fuel in a tank compartment is mitigated.